Family Only
by Alatar Maia
Summary: Hospitals, as a general rule, only allow immediate family to visit patients, especially ones who appeared out of nowhere in one of the nicer private rooms, unconscious [and perfectly fine, other than that]. But the man says he's the dark-haired man's older brother, he's even got his trench coat, and it's not like he can do any harm while the patient's asleep.


**So I saw a little marauders doodle from this person I follow on tumblr, and for some reason Gabriel and Castiel immediately popped into my head. Takes place at the end of season 5, when Castiel ended up in the hospital, if anyone remembers what I'm talking about.**

 **I'll post a link to the picture on my tumblr once this goes up.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.**

* * *

Castiel woke up slowly, then all at once, eyes widening in alarm as he recognized the figure at his bedside. He had no idea where he was, what might have been done to him-

"Chill, bro," Gabriel said. His feet were propped on the edge of Castiel's bed - hospital bed? - "You're panicking so loudly I could hear you from a mile away."

Gabriel shouldn't be able to read his thoughts. "What are you doing here?" Castiel asked, surprised by the grating sound of his voice - it was much deeper and fainter than usual - and coughing when the dryness that had made itself at home in his throat announced itself.

"Have some of that water and then ask me," Gabriel replied, pointing at a pitcher and two glasses. His other hand was occupied, holding a book that his eyes were fixed on. He hadn't looked at Castiel once. "You've had a rough time of things, huh?"

Castiel groped for the water and managed to pour himself a glass, pretending that he hadn't struggled at first and that he didn't know the reason the pitcher had magically lightened in his hands. "No thanks to you," he said once he'd taken a drink. It did help, even if the water wasn't very cold. He suddenly understood why humans disliked room-temperature water - it tasted different, somehow.

How did he notice the difference?

Castiel didn't even realize he was panicking until Gabriel's hand found its way to his shoulder and forced him to lie back down. "I said stop panicking," The archangel said.

"My Grace," Castiel said, helplessly, but couldn't find the words to continue.

"Yep." Gabriel sat back down, turning a page in his book and propping his feet back up. "You've been running yourself thin. I told you hangin' with the Winchesters wouldn't go well for you."

"What are you doing here?" Castiel repeated his question. Gabriel still hadn't answered his question.

"They let immediate family into the room, with the right push." Gabriel's eyes glinted. "Hey, what do you think of this book? _Just before Thanksgiving, Paul Christopher's ashes were delivered-"_

"That's not what I asked."

Gabriel sighed, letting the book drop and meeting Castiel's gaze. "What? Why did I bother showing up, you mean?"

"You haven't exactly been my greatest supporter." Castiel reminded him. "You tried to convince them to give up."

"Yeah. So?" Gabriel raised one eyebrow. "It's not like you've got the greatest chance at this."

"At least we tried." Castiel tried to glare at his brother. He had the feeling it didn't come off as well as it usually did.

Gabriel snorted. "Yeah. At least you took _that_ advice. The Horseman's rings mean you have a marginally larger chance of not dying. Maybe ten percent instead of zero."

"Why don't you help?"

"I _did."_ Gabriel flicked Castiel on the forehead. It hurt more than it should have.

"How?"

"I told you to ditch the Winchesters, didn't I?"

"That's helping now?" Castiel struggled upright, stiffening when the bed _whrred_ into a sitting position at a snap of Gabriel's fingers. "Stop that."

"Hey, you said help! Besides, I can't take you seriously when you're lying down. You look like an invalid." Gabriel picked his book back up, flipping to the beginning.

They sat in silence. Castiel couldn't have said for how long.

"Why did you tell the workers you were my brother?" Castiel asked abruptly, his mind flashing back to Gabriel's first answer.

"I am."

"You ran away. You pretended to be a god."

Gabriel's mouth twitched into a semblance of a smile. "I _was_ a god, kid. You can't fake that. Doesn't mean I ever stopped being an archangel." He shrugged. "I'm the wayward son. Every family's got one." His grin turned into a genuine, if shadowed, one, as if her were enjoying a private joke with someone who wasn't there to hear it anymore. "Guess I gotta carry on."

Castiel paused, wondering if he was meant to understand, and gave up on it. He'd never understood the effect pop culture references were supposed to have. "Why are you here now?"

"Maybe I changed my mind." Gabriel looked up at Castiel. "Well, there's no need to look _that_ skeptical."

"Did you?"

"No," Gabriel admitted cheerfully.

"You're avoiding the question," Castiel told him, eyes narrowing. "Why?"

Gabriel sighed. "Oy vey. Always making stuff so complicated, you. You wanna know why I told you to ditch the Winchesters?" He didn't wait for an affirmative answer. "It wouldn't have helped stop the Apocalypse, sure. But it would've helped you."

"I don't understand."

Gabriel groaned, letting his head fall back. "Are you serious? Look at yourself, Castiel. No Grace, stuck in a hospital a thousand miles away from wherever the hell the Winchesters are. Y'think this would've happened if you'd listened to me?"

"You're saying you're concerned with my health?" The words came out skeptical, but Castiel _was_ skeptical. It wasn't like Gabriel had ever given him any indication that the former had any reason to be concerned. "I don't even remember you telling me to abandon them."

"Abandon's a strong word." Gabriel raised his eyebrows. "You think that TV stuff was for fun?"

Castiel, suddenly, did remember. "Kind of, yes," He said sharply.

"Well, maybe a little bit." Gabriel had somehow gotten halfway through his book while they were talking. "Come on, bro. I couldn't care less about the Winchesters. You breaking yourself to bits like this? That I've got a problem with."

"Why?"

Castiel thought that, for a moment, Gabriel looked almost surprised. The strange expression vanished quickly, though, replaced by indifference. "You're my baby bro."

"You haven't been Gabriel in a long time." Castiel didn't know how long ago Gabriel had left, but it had to have been ages.

Something indecipherable flickers across Gabriel's face. "Nope," He agrees readily. "That's the only thing keeping me around, really. I called in some favors from Coyote. Never thought I'd see the day he and Raven would actually get along."

"What are you talking about?" Castiel didn't recognize the names, but he felt like he should.

"Nothing you need to worry about." Gabriel flashed a grin at him, but to Castiel it looked defensive - there was something more to Gabriel's motivation for coming here. "Tell me what you think of the book, yeah? It's good." He snapped it shut, looking at the cover thoughtfully. "Well, actually, it's a trashy spy novel, but read it anyway. You could use it."

He laid the book on the table next to the pitcher of water, standing up and strolling over to the window. "Have fun, Castiel. Don't die, or I'm gonna kill ya."

"Wait-"

Castiel was about to ask where Gabriel was going when he wakes up.

For real, this time.

The hospital room was the same as it had been in his dream - and what else could the encounter have been? Castiel felt slightly nauseous as he remembered the events at the Elysian - Gabriel was dead, long gone.

It had seemed perfectly normal in the dream, but Gabriel couldn't possibly have visited him.

But there was a book sitting on the bedside table, and the window is open. Castiel was sure bugs must have flown in at some point, because there was an annoying itch on his leg [so he didn't dream losing his Grace] but he only stared at it.

* * *

He doesn't mention the encounter when he calls Dean.

* * *

The nurses say they don't know who brought him in, when he asks them, but when they give him his - Jimmy's - coat back, one of the pockets is full of candy wrappers.

* * *

 **Review, please!**


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